Ice maker for refrigerator

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates generally to an ice maker for a refrigerator appliance. More particularly, the present invention relates to an ice maker having an ice crushing part for crushing ice cubes into crushed ice, the ice cubes being moved downward from above the ice crushing part for supply thereof. In one embodiment, an ice maker is described for a refrigerator, the ice maker comprising: an ice tray secured to a tray securing part and having multiple recesses for ice making; the tray securing part operable to secure the ice tray and configured to cause the ice tray to be rotated in conjunction with a rotation thereof, such that ice formed in the recesses is discharged downward; and an ice crushing part coupled to a lower surface of the tray securing part and configured to crush ice cubes supplied by a rotation of the ice tray, thereby forming crushed ice. The ice crushing part includes a body portion, a crushing lever, an ice crushing part driver and first and second rotating bodies configured to be rotated by the ice crushing part driver.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No.10-2018-0049726, filed Apr. 30, 2018, the entire contents of which isincorporated herein for all purposes by this reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to an ice maker for arefrigerator appliance. More particularly, the present invention relatesto an ice maker for a refrigerator appliance that supplies crushed ice.

Description of the Related Art

As is well known in the art, a refrigerator is an electrical appliancethat uses refrigeration cycles to cool interior air and to storerefrigerated and/or frozen food items for preventing spoilage thereofand storing the same for a long period of time.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a typical refrigerator, and thestructure of the refrigerator 9 will be described in detail withreference to FIG. 1. The refrigerator 9 includes a cabinet 91 defining astorage space divided into a refrigerator compartment and a freezercompartment, and an opening and closing part 93 (e.g., doors) positionedon a front surface of the cabinet 91 and selectively rotatably openingand closing the refrigerator compartment or the freezer compartment.Furthermore, a manual ice maker 95 may be provided on a side of thefreezer compartment to generate and dispense ice cubes.

In the manual ice maker, when a user requires crushed ice, the user hasto manually crush ice cubes by using a separate ice crushing blade afterthe ice cubes that have formed in recesses of an ice tray are dischargedtherefrom.

In such case, there is always a possibility of a injury accident causedby the ice crushing blade, and the requirement of crushing each ice cubemay be inconvenient for the user.

Thus, what is needed is a manual ice maker and, more particularly, anice maker for a refrigerator that enables ice cubes to be efficientlycrushed into crushed ice and that further enables the crushed ice, orthe ice cubes, to be selectively supplied according to user preference.

The foregoing is intended merely to aid in the understanding of thebackground of the present invention, and is not intended to mean thatthe present invention falls within the purview of the related art thatis already known to those skilled in the art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention are directed to amanual ice maker and, more particularly, an ice maker for a refrigeratorthat enables ice cubes to be efficiently crushed into crushed ice andthat further enables the crushed ice, or the ice cubes, to beselectively supplied according to user preference. Embodiments of thepresent invention have been made keeping in mind the above problemsoccurring in the related art, and an objective of the present inventionis to provide an ice maker for a refrigerator, wherein an ice crushingpart is provided to crush ice cubes into crushed ice when a user rotatesa crushing lever in one direction, where the ice cubes are supplied fromabove the ice crushing part into a distance space, through a rotationoperation of first and second rotating bodies, thereby resulting in theice cubes being crushed efficiently and safely. The distance space isdefined between the rotating bodies.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide an ice makerfor a refrigerator, wherein the ice crushing part is readily attachedto, and detached from, a tray securing part positioned thereover and anice bank positioned thereunder. This arrangement results in the icecrushing part being selectively used or not according to userpreference.

A further objective of the present invention is to provide an ice makerfor a refrigerator, wherein the first and second rotating bodies arerotatable in opposite directions, preferably toward the distance spacein a fahsion moving upward to downward, resulting in ice cubes beingcrushed efficiently and the ice cubes being properly channeled whensupplied.

Still another objective of the present invention is to provide an icemaker for a refrigerator, wherein protrusions are radially disposedalong outer circumferential surfaces of the first and second rotatingbodies, resulting in ice cubes being crushed more efficiently.

Still a further objective of the present invention is to provide an icemaker for a refrigerator, wherein a guide portion is provided at a rearside of a housing and inclined downward, resulting in ice cubes fallingfrom an ice tray being reliably supplied into the distance space definedbetween the first and second rotating bodies.

In order to achieve the above objectives, according to one embodiment ofthe present invention, there is provided an ice maker for arefrigerator, the ice maker including: an ice tray secured to a traysecuring part and having multiple recesses for ice making; the traysecuring part securing the ice tray and configured to cause the ice trayto be rotated in conjunction with a rotation thereof, such that iceformed in the recesses is discharged downward; and an ice crushing partcoupled to a lower surface of the tray securing part and configured tocrush ice cubes supplied by a rotation of the ice tray, thereby formingcrushed ice.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the ice crushing partmay include: a body portion having a quadrangular plate-shaped driverhousing provided at a front side thereof; a crushing lever positioned ona front surface of the driver housing; an ice crushing part driverconfigured to cause first and/or second rotating bodies to be rotated inconjunction with a rotation of the crushing lever; and where the firstand second rotating bodies are cylindrical in shape and are configuredto be rotated by the ice crushing part driver.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the first rotating bodymay be rotated in a direction opposite to a direction in which thecrushing lever is rotated, and the second rotating body may be rotatedin the same direction as the direction in which the crushing lever isrotated.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the tray securing partmay include a quadrangular plate-shaped cover configured such thatopposite sides of a lower surface thereof are formed into a quadrangularpillar shape. Also, the driver housing may include anattachment/detachment recess disposed on an upper surface thereof into acomplementary shape to the opposite sides of the lower surface of thecover such that the opposite sides of the lower surface of the cover arepartially inserted into the attachment/detachment recess.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the body portion mayfurther include a guide portion provided at one side surface or eachside surface of the driver housing and extending downward in an inclinedfashion toward the first or second or both rotating bodies.

In another embodiment of the present invention, each of the first andsecond rotating bodies may have multiple protrusions radially formedalong an outer circumferential surface thereof.

In another embodiment of the present invention, each of the protrusionsis disposed on a surface thereof with a blade.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the guide portion may bepositioned above the ice crushing part driver and may extend such thatan end portion thereof does not cover a distance space defined betweenthe first and second rotating bodies.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the second rotating bodymay be spaced apart from the first rotating body by a predetermineddistance, and the distance may be shorter than a horizontal maximumlength and a vertical maximum length of each of the recesses of the icetray.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the first rotating bodymay be positioned at the right side while the second rotating body maybe positioned at the left side (when viewed from the front), and whenthe crushing lever is rotated in a clockwise direction, the first andsecond rotating bodies may be caused to be rotated from upward todownward toward the distance space.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the ice crushing partdriver may include: a central gear positioned on a rear surface of thecrushing lever such that a rotational center thereof is coupled to thecrushing lever, where the central gear is rotated in conjunction withthe rotation of the crushing lever rotated in one direction such thatthe central gear and the crushing lever are rotated in the samedirection; a first rotary gear positioned at a first side of the centralgear to engage with the central gear; a second rotary gear positioned ata second side of the central gear to engage with the central gear; and athird rotary gear positioned at a side of the second rotary gear (whichis not engaged with the central gear) to engage with the second rotarygear.

In another embodiment of the present invention, each of the first tothird rotary gears may be provided at a center thereof with a femalescrew shaft having a female thread formed on an inner surface thereof,the first rotating body may have a first insertion protrusion disposedon a front surface thereof and serving as a rotary shaft, the firstinsertion protrusion having a male thread formed on an outer surfacethereof so as to be inserted into the female screw shaft of the firstrotary gear, and the second rotating body may have a second insertionprotrusion formed on a front surface thereof and serving as a rotaryshaft, the second insertion protrusion having a male thread formed on anouter surface thereof and for insertion into the female screw shaft ofthe third rotary gear.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the ice maker mayfurther include an ice bank storing ice supplied from above and having acoupling recess formed on an upper surface thereof into a complementaryshape to opposite sides of a lower surface of either of the cover andthe body portion such that the opposite sides of the lower surface ofeither of the cover and the body portion are partially inserted into thecoupling recess, wherein the driver housing may have apredetermined-shaped bank insertion portion provided at each side of alower surface thereof to be partially inserted into the coupling recessof the ice bank.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is providedan ice maker for a refrigerator, the ice maker including: an ice traysecured to a tray securing part and having multiple recesses for icemaking; the tray securing part securing the ice tray and configured tocause the ice tray to be rotated in conjunction with a rotation thereof,such that ice formed in the recesses is discharged downward; and an icecrushing part coupled to a lower surface of the tray securing part andconfigured to crush ice cubes supplied by a rotation of the ice tray,thereby forming crushed ice, wherein the ice crushing part includes: abody portion having a quadrangular plate-shaped driver housing providedat a front side thereof; a crushing lever positioned on a front surfaceof the driver housing; and an ice crushing part driver configured tocause first and second rotating bodies to be rotated in oppositedirections when the crushing lever is rotated in one direction, wherethe first and second rotating bodies are positioned at a rear surface ofthe driver housing and extend rearward therefrom.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the second rotating bodymay be spaced apart from the first rotating body by a predetermineddistance, and the distance may be shorter than a horizontal maximumlength and a vertical maximum length of each of the recesses of the icetray.

In another embodiment of the present invention, when the crushing leveris rotated in a clockwise direction, the first and second rotatingbodies may rotate in an upward to downward fashion toward the distancespace.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the tray securing partmay be configured such that a side of a lower surface thereof is formedinto a complementary shape to a side of an upper surface of the icecrushing part, whereby the tray securing part is readily attachable to,and detachable from, the ice crushing part.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the ice maker mayfurther include an ice bank storing the ice supplied from above andhaving a coupling recess formed on an upper surface thereof into thesame shape as the side of the lower surface of the tray securing partsuch that a side of either of the tray securing part or the ice crushingpart is partially inserted into the coupling recess, wherein the icecrushing part may have a bank insertion portion formed at a side of alower surface thereof into a complementary shape to a side of the uppersurface of the ice bank.

Another embodiment of the present invention includes a refrigeratorappliance comprising: a plurality of components for performing arefrigeration cycle; at least one compartment for storing food itemstherein; an opening and closing device for selectively opening andclosing the compartment; and an ice maker, the ice maker comprising: anice tray secured to a tray securing part and having a plurality ofrecesses for ice making; the tray securing part operable for securingthe ice tray and configured to rotate the ice tray in conjunction with arotation thereof, wherein ice formed in the recesses is discharged in adownward direction; and an ice crushing part coupled to a lower surfaceof the tray securing part and configured to produce crushed ice bycrushing ice cubes supplied by rotation of the ice tray, wherein the icecrushing part comprises: a body portion having a quadrangularplate-shaped driver housing disposed at a front side thereof; a crushinglever positioned on a front surface of the driver housing; and an icecrushing part driver configured to rotate first and second rotatingbodies in opposite directions when the crushing lever is rotated in onedirection, wherein the first and second rotating bodies are positionedat a rear surface of the driver housing and extend rearward therefrom.

The present invention has the following effects with the above-describedconfigurations.

The ice crushing part is provided to crush ice cubes into crushed icewhen a user rotates the crushing lever in one direction, where the icecubes are supplied from above the ice crushing part into the distancespace, through the rotation operation of the first and second rotatingbodies, resulting in the ice cubes being crushed efficiently and safely.

Furthermore, the ice crushing part is readily attached to, and detachedfrom, the tray securing part positioned thereover and the ice bankpositioned thereunder, resulting in the ice crushing part beingselectively used according to user preference.

Furthermore, the first and second rotating bodies are rotatable inopposite directions, preferably toward the distance space in an upwardto downward fashion, resulting in ice cubes being supplied and crushedefficiently.

Furthermore, the protrusions are radially disposed along the outercircumferential surfaces of the first and second rotating bodies,resulting in ice cubes being crushed more efficiently.

Furthermore, the guide portion is provided at the rear side of thehousing and is inclined downward, resulting in ice cubes falling fromthe ice tray being reliability supplied into the distance space definedbetween the first and second rotating bodies.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and other advantages of thepresent invention will be more clearly understood from the followingdetailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a typical refrigerator;

FIG. 2 is an assembled perspective view showing an ice maker for arefrigerator appliance according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the ice maker for therefrigerator appliance according to FIG. 2 according to an embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing an ice tray and a traysecuring part according to FIG. 2 according to an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 5 is a rear view showing a cover of the tray securing partaccording to FIG. 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an ice crushing part according toFIG. 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a reference view showing operation of an ice crushing partdriver upon a clockwise rotation of a crushing lever of the ice crushingpart according to FIG. 6 according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 8 is a reference view showing operations of first and secondrotating bodies upon the clockwise rotation of the crushing leveraccording to FIG. 6 according to an embodiment of the present invention;and

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an ice bank according to FIG. 2according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Hereinbelow, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will bedescribed in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Theembodiments of the present invention are presented to make completedisclosure of the present invention and help those who are ordinarilyskilled in the art best understand the invention. Various changes to thefollowing embodiments are possible and the scope of the presentinvention is not limited to the following embodiments.

As used herein, the term “front” refers to a direction in which a cover310 is provided, and the “rear” refers to a direction opposite to thefront.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a typical refrigerator, FIG. 2 isan assembled perspective view showing an ice maker for a refrigeratoraccording to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is anexploded perspective view showing the ice maker for the refrigeratoraccording to FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing anice tray and a tray securing part according to FIG. 2, FIG. 5 is a rearview showing a cover of the tray securing part according to FIG. 2, FIG.6 is a perspective view showing an ice crushing part according to FIG.2, FIG. 7 is a reference view showing operation of an ice crushing partdriver upon a clockwise rotation of a crushing lever of the ice crushingpart according to FIG. 6, FIG. 8 is a reference view showing operationsof first and second rotating bodies upon the clockwise rotation of thecrushing lever according to FIG. 6, and FIG. 9 is a perspective viewshowing an ice bank according to FIG. 2.

Hereinafter, an ice maker 1 for a refrigerator appliance according to anembodiment of the present invention will be described in detail withreference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to FIGS. 2 to 4, the ice maker 1 for the refrigeratoraccording to an embodiment of the present invention is positioned insideof the refrigerator and is configured to form ice cubes and then crushthe ice cubes to thereby form crushed ice. To this end, this embodimentof the present invention may include an ice tray 10, a tray securingpart 30, an ice crushing part 50, and an ice bank 70.

Referring to FIG. 4, the ice tray 10 is secured to the tray securingpart 30 (described later), and has multiple recesses 110 for ice making.For example, the multiple recesses 110 are recessed downward from anupper surface of the ice tray 10 such that water within recessedcavities defined inside the tray is frozen into ice. Furthermore, theice tray 10 is formed into a substantially quadrangular frame, of courseany suitable shape can be used. The ice tray 10 may be, for example, oneof a variety of well known ice tray designs.

The ice tray 10 includes a first protrusion 130 protruding forward froma front surface thereof and a second protrusion 150 protruding rearwardfrom a rear surface thereof. For example, the first and secondprotrusions 130 and 150 may have a cylindrical shape without beinglimited thereto. The first protrusion 130 is inserted into a traysecuring recess 310 a (described later) while the second protrusion 150is inserted into an insertion hole 331 (described later), such that theice tray 10 is secured to the tray securing part 30. Additionally, it ispreferable that the first and second protrusions 130 and 150 are formedat substantially central portions of the front and rear surfaces of theice tray 10, respectively, such that the ice tray 10 is firmly secured.Furthermore, for example, a male thread may be formed on an outersurface of each protrusion.

The ice tray 10 may include a rotational force receiving portion 170protruding forward from the front surface thereof at a positiondistanced from the first protrusion 130. The rotational force receivingportion 170 may also have a cylindrical shape, for example, and isinserted into a securing rotation recess 315 b (described later) suchthat the ice tray 10 is rotatable in one direction in conjunction with arotation of an ice tray driver 315.

The icemaker 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention mayhave one ice tray 10 secured thereto, or may have two ice trays 10secured thereto as shown in FIG. 2. However, the embodiments of thepresent invention are not limited thereto.

The tray securing part 30 secures the ice tray 10 to the interiorthereof and is configured to rotate the ice tray 10 in conjunction withrotation thereof, such that ice formed in the recesses 110 is dischargeddownwardly of the ice maker 1. To this end, the tray securing part 30may include the cover 310 and the securing plate 330.

The cover 310 is provided at a front surface of the tray securing part30 and has a substantially quadrangular plate shape, with the coverbeing configured for manipulation by a user to rotate the ice tray 10 inthe tray securing part. Furthermore, the cover 310 may be configuredsuch that a side of a lower surface thereof is formed into acomplimentary shape to a side of an upper surface of either of the icecrushing part 50 or the ice bank 70 (described later), whereby the coveris attachable and detachable therefrom. For example, it is preferablethat opposite sides of the lower surface of the cover 310 are formedinto a quadrangular pillar shape to be inserted into a recess of acomplimentary shape to a corresponding portion of either of the icecrushing part 50 or the ice bank 70, such that the cover is readilyattachable and detachable therefrom. However, the shape thereof,described herein, is merely an exemplary shape and various arbitrary andsuitable shapes are possible.

Referring to FIG. 5, the cover 310 has the tray securing recess 310 aprotruding rearward from a rear surface thereof, where the tray securingrecess has a groove formed on the inside thereof, such that the firstprotrusion 130 is inserted into the tray securing recess. It should benoted that any number of tray securing recesses 310 a may be useddepending on the number of trays to be secured thereto.

The cover 310 may include a contact portion 311, an intermediate member313, and the ice tray driver 315.

Referring to FIG. 4, the contact portion 311 is inserted into a frontgroove of the cover 310 and is configured for rotation in clockwiseand/or counterclockwise directions in accordance with a rotationmanipulation by the user. To this end, the contact portion 311 may havea substantially cylindrical shape and may include a knob 311 aprotruding forward from a front surface thereof in a square column shapethat is easily operable by hand. Thus, when the user rotates the entirebody of the contact portion 311, while holding the knob 311 a, the icetray 10 rotates in one direction.

Furthermore, the contact portion 311 has a seat recess 311 b disposed ona rear surface thereof has a complementary shape to a rear surface of aninsertion rotation portion 313 a of the intermediate member 313(described later) such that the insertion rotation portion 313 a isinserted into the seat recess. For example, the seating recess 311 b isconfigured with a cylindrical recess disposed at a central portionthereof and a quadrangular recess disposed at each side thereof. Thus,when the contact portion 311 is rotated, the cylindrical recess causesthe intermediate member 313 to be rotated smoothly while thequadrangular recesses causes the contact portion 311 to be preventedfrom idling.

The intermediate member 313 is configured such that a front side and arear side thereof are engaged with the rear surface of the contactportion 311 and the ice tray driver 315, respectively, whereby arotational force generated upon rotation of the contact portion 311 isused to rotate the ice tray driver 315 in one direction.

To this end, the intermediate member 313 may include the insertionrotation portion 313 a, a vertical plate 313 b, and a rotational forcetransmitting portion 313 c.

The insertion rotation portion 313 a is inserted into the seat recess311 b such that the entire intermediate member 313 is rotated in thesame direction in conjunction with a rotation of the contact portion311. As described above, the insertion rotation portion 313 a has acomplementary shape to the seat recess 311 b and may be configured witha cylindrical protrusion protruding from a front side thereof and aquadrangular pillar disposed at each side thereof.

The vertical plate 313 b is coupled to a rear side of the insertionrotation portion 313 a and is preferably integrally coupled to form aplate-like configuration extending to either the left or right sides.The vertical plate 313 b is a structure used for allowing the rotationalforce transmitting portion 313 c (described later) to be positionedeccentrically to a central axis of the cover 310. For example, when therotational force transmitting portion 313 c is provided on the centralaxis of the cover 310, it is difficult for the ice tray driver 315(described later) to be rotated smoothly.

The rotational force transmitting portion 313 c protrudes from the rearside of the intermediate member 313 toward the ice tray 10 to rotate theentire ice tray driver 315. For example, the rotational forcetransmitting portion 313 c may protrude rearward from a rear surface ofthe vertical plate 313 b. Furthermore, the rotational force transmittingportion may have an extension portion 313 c-1 passing through a seatslot 315 a of the ice tray driver 315 and an engagement portion 313 c-2formed on a rear surface of the extension portion 313 c-1 in acylindrical shape. The engagement portion 313 c-2 is configured suchthat a side of a front surface and an outer surface thereof come intopartial close contact with an inner step 315 a-1 of the seat slot 315 aand an inner surface of the seat slot 315 a, respectively, whereby theentire ice tray driver 315 rotates smoothly.

Referring to FIG. 5, the ice tray driver 315 is configured to directlyrotate the ice tray 10 by using the generated rotational force and mayinclude the seat slot 315 a, and the tray securing recess 315 b.

The seat slot 315 a passes through the plate-shaped ice tray driver 315and has the step 315 a-1 disposed at a position distanced forward from arear surface of the ice tray driver by a predetermined depth.Furthermore, the step 315 a-1 is configured such that an inner surfacethereof is smaller in diameter than the rotational force transmittingportion 313 c, while a side thereof coming into contact with an outersurface of the rotational force transmitting portion 313 c isapproximately equal in diameter to the rotational force transmittingportion 313 c. The seat slot 315 a is formed on a substantially centralaxis of the ice tray driver 315, and a vertical central axis of the icetray driver 315 is positioned at a location not corresponding to avertical central axis of the cover 310. This makes it possible tosmoothly rotate the ice tray 10.

The securing rotation recess 315 b is distanced from the seat slot 315 asuch that the rotational force receiving portion 170 is inserted intothe securing rotation recess. Accordingly, when the intermediate member313 is rotated, the ice tray 10 having a side inserted into the securingrotation recess 315 b is rotated in conjunction with a rotation thereof.The securing plate 330 conforms to an edge of the tray securing part 30,and is preferably formed in a substantially quadrangular frame shape.Furthermore, the securing plate 330 has the insertion hole 331 formed ona side thereof opposed to the cover 310 such that the second protrusion150 is inserted thereto.

Referring to FIG. 6, the ice crushing part 50 is coupled to a lowersurface of the tray securing part 30 and is configured to crush icecubes supplied by a rotation of the ice tray 10, thereby forming crushedice. Furthermore, the ice crushing part 50 is detachably attached to theice maker 1 according to user preference or usage. In other words, theice crushing part 50 is attached when crushed ice is required, and isdetached when ice cubes are required. The ice crushing part 50 mayinclude a body portion 510, a crushing lever 530, an ice crushing partdriver 550, a first rotating body 570, and a second rotating body 590.

The body portion 510 defines a body of the ice crushing part 50 and hasa quadrangular plate-shaped driver housing 511 disposed at a front sidethereof. Furthermore, receiving recesses may be provided on a surface ofthe body portion that is distanced from a rear surface of the driverhousing 511 such that respective sides of the first and second rotatingbodies 570 and 590 (that will be described later) are partially insertedinto the receiving recesses. Furthermore, the body portion may furtherinclude a guide portion 515 provided at one side surface or each sidesurface of the driver housing 511, and preferably may extend in aninclined fashion and downward toward the first or second or bothrotating bodies 570 and 590 rather than the ice crushing part driver550. The guide portion 515 serves to prevent ice falling from the icetray 10 on the ice crushing part from escaping outside the distancespace defined between the first and second rotating bodies 570 and 590(described later). Accordingly, it is preferable that the guide portion515 extend such that a rear surface-side end portion thereof does notcover the distance space defined between the first and second rotatingbodies 570 and 590. The number of guide portions is not limited.

The driver housing 511 has an attachment/detachment recess 511 adisposed on an upper surface thereof with a complementary shape toopposite sides of the lower surface of the cover 310 such that theopposite sides of the lower surface of the cover are partially insertedinto the attachment/detachment recess. For example, theattachment/detachment recess 511 a may be formed in a quadrangulargroove shape. Furthermore, the driver housing 511 may have apredetermined-shaped bank insertion portion 511 b provided at each sideof a lower surface thereof for partial insertion into the ice bank 70(described later). The bank insertion portion 511 b may have aquadrangular pillar shape.

Referring to FIG. 7, the crushing lever 530 is positioned on a frontsurface of the driver housing 511 and is configured to rotate the firstand/or second rotating bodies 570 and 590. The crushing lever 530 iscoupled to a rotational center of a central gear 551. For example, thecrushing lever 530 may be provided on a rear surface thereof, preferablya central portion of the rear surface thereof, with a male screw shafthaving a male thread formed on an outer surface thereof forconnection/coupling with the central gear 551. However, in theembodiment of the present invention, the coupling fashion of thecrushing lever 530 and the central gear 551 is not limited to the aboveexample.

Referring to FIG. 7, the ice crushing part driver 550 is configured tocause the first and/or second rotating bodies 570 and 590 to be rotatedin conjunction with a rotation of the crushing lever 530 manipulated bythe user, and may include the central gear 551, a first rotary gear 553,a second rotary gear 555, and a third rotary gear 557.

The central gear 551 is positioned on the rear surface of the crushinglever 530 and is rotated in conjunction with the rotation of thecrushing lever 530 rotated in one direction such that the central gearand the crushing lever are rotated in the same direction. The centralgear 551 may be provided at the center thereof with a female screw shaft551 a having a female thread formed on an inner surface thereof.Accordingly, a side of the crushing lever is inserted into the femalescrew shaft 551 a.

The first rotary gear 553 is positioned at a first side of the centralgear 551 to engage with the central gear 551. The first rotary gear 553may also be provided at a center thereof with a female screw shaft 553 ahaving a female thread formed on an inner surface thereof such that afirst insertion protrusion 573 of the first rotating body 570 (describedlater) is inserted thereinto.

The second rotary gear 555 is positioned at a second side of the centralgear 551 to engage with the central gear 551. Furthermore, a side of thesecond rotary gear 555 that does not engage with the central gear 551engages with a side of the third rotary gear 557.

The third rotary gear 557 may also be provided at a center thereof witha female screw shaft 557 a having a female thread formed on an innersurface thereof such that the second insertion protrusion 593 of thesecond rotating body 590 is inserted thereinto.

In summary, when the user rotates the crushing lever 530 in onedirection, for example, in the clockwise direction, the central gear 551thereby rotates in the clockwise direction. Then, the first rotary gear553 and the second rotary gear 555 that are engaged with the centralgear 551 rotate in the counterclockwise direction. Then, the thirdrotary gear 557 engaged with the second rotary gear 555 rotates in theclockwise direction.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 8, the first rotating body 570 having acylindrical shape is configured to rotate in a direction opposite to thedirection in which the crushing lever 510 is rotated. Furthermore, thefirst rotating body 570 has multiple protrusions 571 radially formedalong an outer circumferential surface thereof. The shapes of theprotrusions 571 are not limited but it is preferable that each may beprovided on a surface thereof with a blade for easy crushing of icecubes.

The first rotating body 570 may have the first insertion protrusion 573disposed on a front surface and a rear surface thereof and serves as arotary shaft. For example, the front surface-side first insertionprotrusion 573 may have a male thread formed on an outer surface thereoffor insertion into the female screw shaft 553 a.

The second rotating body 590 having a cylindrical shape rotates in thesame direction as the direction in which the crushing lever 510 rotatesand is spaced apart from the first rotating body 570 by a predetermineddistance. Furthermore, like the first rotating body 570, the secondrotating body may have multiple protrusions 591 radially disposed alongan outer circumferential surface thereof and each may be provided with ablade. It is preferable that the distance of the second rotating body590 to the first rotating body 570 be shorter than a horizontal maximumlength and a vertical maximum length of each of the recesses 110 of theice tray 10. This is because when the distance is longer than theabove-described length, fed ice cubes may fall downward without beingbrought into contact with the first and second rotating bodies 570 and590.

The second rotating body 590 may have the second insertion protrusion593 serving as a rotary shaft, and a front side thereof may be insertedinto the female screw shaft 557 a.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the first rotating body 570 bepositioned at the right side while the second rotating body 590 ispositioned at the left side (when viewed from the front), such that whenthe user rotates the crushing lever 510 in one direction, for example,in the clockwise direction, both the first and second rotating bodies570 and 590 rotate in a fashion from upward to downward toward thedistance space. This is because, for example, when the crushing lever isrotated in the direction opposite to the above-described direction, fedice into the distance space may rise upward and escape after beingbrought into contact with the first and/or second rotating bodies 570and 590.

Referring to FIG. 9, the ice bank 70 is a storage room for storing icesupplied from above and has a coupling recess 710 disposed on an uppersurface thereof into a complementary shape with respect to oppositesides of a lower surface of either of the cover 310 or the body portion510 such that the opposite sides of the lower surface of either of thecover or the body portion are partially inserted into the couplingrecess.

The above detailed description is illustrative of the presentdisclosure. In addition, the above-described content is for explainingexemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, and the presentdisclosure may be used in other various combinations, changes, andenvironments. That is, the present disclosure may be changed or modifiedwithin the scope of the concept of the disclosure disclosed in thepresent specification, an equivalent scope to the described disclosure,and/or the scope of technology or knowledge in the art. The embodimentsare illustrative of a best mode for implementing the technical spirit ofthe present disclosure, and various modifications required in a specificapplication field and purpose of the present disclosure are possible.Thus, the above detailed description of the disclosure is not to beconstrued as limited to the specific embodiments disclosed.

What is claimed is:
 1. An ice maker for a refrigerator appliance, theice maker comprising: an ice tray secured to a tray securing part andcomprising a plurality of recesses for making ice; the tray securingpart operable to secure the ice tray and configured to cause the icetray to rotate in conjunction with rotation thereof, wherein ice formedin the plurality of recesses is discharged in a downward direction; andan ice crushing part coupled to a lower surface of the tray securingpart and configured to produce crushed ice by crushing ice cubessupplied by rotation of the ice tray.
 2. The ice maker of claim 1,wherein the ice crushing part comprises: a body portion having aquadrangular plate-shaped driver housing disposed at a front sidethereof; a crushing lever positioned on a front surface of the driverhousing; an ice crushing part driver configured to cause first andsecond rotating bodies to rotate in conjunction with rotation of thecrushing lever; and the first and second rotating bodies having acylindrical shape and configured to be rotated by the ice crushing partdriver.
 3. The ice maker of claim 2, wherein the first rotating bodyrotates in a direction opposite to a direction in which the crushinglever rotates, and wherein further the second rotating body rotates in asame direction as the direction in which the crushing lever rotates. 4.The ice maker of claim 2, wherein the tray securing part includes aquadrangular plate-shaped cover configured wherein opposite sides of alower surface thereof are formed into a quadrangular pillar shape, andwherein the driver housing comprises an attachment/detachment recessdisposed on an upper surface thereof in a complementary shape withrespect to the opposite sides of the lower surface of the cover whereinthe opposite sides of the lower surface of the cover are partiallyinserted into the attachment/detachment recess.
 5. The ice maker ofclaim 2, wherein the body portion further comprises: a guide portionprovided at one side surface of the driver housing and extendingdownward in an inclined fashion toward the first or second rotatingbodies.
 6. The ice maker of claim 2, wherein each of the first andsecond rotating bodies comprises multiple protrusions radially disposedalong an outer circumferential surface thereof.
 7. The ice maker ofclaim 6, wherein each of the protrusions is associated with a blade. 8.The ice maker of claim 7, wherein the guide portion is positioned abovethe ice crushing part driver and extends wherein an end portion thereofdoes not cover a distance space, wherein the distance space is definedbetween the first and second rotating bodies.
 9. The ice maker of claim3, wherein the second rotating body is spaced apart from the firstrotating body by a predetermined distance, and wherein the predetermineddistance is shorter than a horizontal maximum length and a verticalmaximum length of each of the recesses of the ice tray.
 10. The icemaker of claim 3, wherein the first rotating body is positioned at aright side with respect to a front orientation while the second rotatingbody is positioned at a left side with respect to a front orientation,and wherein when the crushing lever is rotated in a clockwise direction,the first and second rotating bodies rotate in a fashion from upward todownward toward a distance space defined therebetween.
 11. The ice makerof claim 3, wherein the ice crushing part driver comprises: a centralgear positioned on a rear surface of the crushing lever wherein arotational center thereof is coupled to the crushing lever, wherein thecentral gear rotates in conjunction with rotation of the crushing leverrotated in one direction wherein the central gear and the crushing leverrotate in a same direction; a first rotary gear positioned at a firstside of the central gear to engage with the central gear; a secondrotary gear positioned at a second side of the central gear to engagewith the central gear; and a third rotary gear positioned at a side ofthe second rotary gear which is free of engagement with the central gearto engage with the second rotary gear.
 12. The ice maker of claim 11,wherein each of the first to third rotary gears is disposed at a centerthereof with a female screw shaft having a female thread formed on aninner surface thereof, wherein the first rotating body having a firstinsertion protrusion disposed on a front surface thereof and operable toserve as a rotary shaft, wherein the first insertion protrusion has amale thread formed on an outer surface thereof for insertion into thefemale screw shaft of the first rotary gear, and wherein the secondrotating body having a second insertion protrusion disposed on a frontsurface thereof and operable to serve as a rotary shaft, wherein thesecond insertion protrusion having a male thread formed on an outersurface thereof for insertion into the female screw shaft of the thirdrotary gear.
 13. The ice maker of claim 6, further comprising: an icebank operable for storing ice supplied from above and having a couplingrecess formed on an upper surface thereof into a complementary shape toopposite sides of a lower surface of either of the cover and the bodyportion wherein the opposite sides of the lower surface of either of thecover and the body portion are partially inserted into the couplingrecess, wherein the driver housing has a predetermined-shaped bankinsertion portion disposed at each side of a lower surface thereof to bepartially inserted into the coupling recess of the ice bank.
 14. An icemaker for a refrigerator appliance, the ice maker comprising: an icetray secured to a tray securing part and having a plurality of recessesfor ice making; the tray securing part operable for securing the icetray and configured to rotate the ice tray in conjunction with arotation thereof, wherein ice formed in the recesses is discharged in adownward direction; and an ice crushing part coupled to a lower surfaceof the tray securing part and configured to produce crushed ice bycrushing ice cubes supplied by rotation of the ice tray, wherein the icecrushing part comprises: a body portion having a quadrangularplate-shaped driver housing disposed at a front side thereof; a crushinglever positioned on a front surface of the driver housing; and an icecrushing part driver configured to rotate first and second rotatingbodies in opposite directions when the crushing lever is rotated in onedirection, wherein the first and second rotating bodies are positionedat a rear surface of the driver housing and extend rearward therefrom.15. The ice maker of claim 14, wherein the second rotating body isspaced apart from the first rotating body by a predetermined distance,and the predetermined distance is shorter than a horizontal maximumlength and a vertical maximum length of each of the recesses of the icetray.
 16. The ice maker of claim 15, wherein when the crushing lever isrotated in a clockwise direction, the first and second rotating bodiesrotate in a fashion from upward to downward toward a distance spacedefined between the first and second rotating bodies.
 17. The ice makerof claim 14, wherein the tray securing part is configured wherein a sideof a lower surface thereof is formed into a complementary shape to aside of an upper surface of the ice crushing part, enabling the traysecuring part to be readily attachable to, and detachable from, the icecrushing part.
 18. The ice maker of claim 17, further comprising: an icebank operable for storing ice supplied from above and having a couplingrecess disposed on an upper surface thereof into a same shape as theside of the lower surface of the tray securing part wherein a side ofeither of the tray securing part and the ice crushing part is partiallyinserted into the coupling recess, and wherein the ice crushing part hasa bank insertion portion formed at a side of a lower surface thereofinto a complementary shape to a side of the upper surface of the icebank.
 19. A refrigerator appliance comprising: a plurality of componentsfor performing a refrigeration cycle; at least one compartment forstoring food items therein; an opening and closing device forselectively opening and closing the compartment; and an ice maker, theice maker comprising: an ice tray secured to a tray securing part andhaving a plurality of recesses for ice making; the tray securing partoperable for securing the ice tray and configured to rotate the ice trayin conjunction with a rotation thereof, wherein ice formed in therecesses is discharged in a downward direction; and an ice crushing partcoupled to a lower surface of the tray securing part and configured toproduce crushed ice by crushing ice cubes supplied by rotation of theice tray, wherein the ice crushing part comprises: a body portion havinga quadrangular plate-shaped driver housing disposed at a front sidethereof; a crushing lever positioned on a front surface of the driverhousing; and an ice crushing part driver configured to rotate first andsecond rotating bodies in opposite directions when the crushing lever isrotated in one direction, wherein the first and second rotating bodiesare positioned at a rear surface of the driver housing and extendrearward therefrom.
 20. The refrigerator appliance of claim 19, whereinthe second rotating body is spaced apart from the first rotating body bya predetermined distance, and the predetermined distance is shorter thana horizontal maximum length and a vertical maximum length of each of therecesses of the ice tray.